WID hosted its first Fall Educational and Professional Development Mentoring Event on November 2, 2017 in Lakehurst, NJ.  The event's featured speaker was Ms. Kathleen Donnelly, who shared her career journey and discuss the challenges and professional accomplishments she experienced, and the role models that helped her along the way.

Ms. Donnelly current serves as Director of the Support Equipment (SE) and Aircraft Launch and RecoveryEquipment (ALRE) Engineering Department of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Lakehurst, N.J. Ms. Donnelly is the technical authority and spokesperson for all research engineering and fleet support related to Aircraft Platform Interface equipment critical to the Naval Aviation Enterprise. She leads a national organization that spans 23 sites world-wide and includes over 1,300 civilian and military professionals. She has over 32 years in civil service and was selected to the Senior Executive Service in March 2008.